The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

ELECTORAL INTRIGUES. I53
Church did not succeed, in spite of his affabihty and con-
descension, in making them forget his strictness. As early
as June, 1566, we hear of Cardinals who keep at a distance
from the Pope, that he is very severe in matters of religion,
that he has no respect for persons, and becomes more terrible
every day.^ At the end of 1569 it was rumoured in Rome
that the Pope had complained in consistory that the Cardinals
did not form a circle round him when he vested for a function,
and thus plainly showed how little they cared for him.^
Even more painful to Pius V. than these manifestations of
dislike were the things he heard, even within a few months
of his ascending the throne, of intrigues among the Cardinals
concerning the next Papal election. On account of the broken
health of Pius V. it was thought that there must soon be
another conclave ; Farnese looked upon himself as already
Pope and was seeking the support of Spain, while Vitelli was
at the head of a French party. ^ When the Pope heard of
these intrigues, in May, 1566, in the first outburst of his just
anger, he declared that he would show the Cardinals that
there had not been a more terrible Pope for two hundred
years than he.* He did not, however, carry this threat into
effect, and when, about Christmas, 1566, he spoke on this
painful subject in the consistory, he did so in all seriousness,
but at the same time very gently ;
all that he did was to keep
a watch upon the correspondence of the Cardinals.^ He
adopted the same tone a few months later, when he had again
to speak of electoral intrigues. At the consistory of June 4th,
1567, just about the time when he had so drastically cut down
his own court, he reminded his hearers of the sublime dignity
^ *Priorato to the Duke of Modena, June 19, 1566, State
Archives, Modena.
' *" Si duolse S.S. con 11 cardinali che mentre lei si apparava
non li facevano circolo intorno, come si conveniva, ma che demos-
travano segno manifesto che poco lo stimavano." Avviso of
December 17, 1569. Urb. 1041, p. 199, Vatican Library.
' Herre, 138 seqq., 151 seqq.
* *Cusano, May 25, 1566, State Archives, Vienna.
* *Arco, April 5 and June 21, 1567, ibid.